How to Move a Zoo by Kate Simpson illustrated by Owen Swan

Luckily I arrived at the school library where I volunteer in time to 'listen in' to the Teacher-Librarian sharing this new Australian book with a Grade Two class. It was a wonderful lesson where the Teacher-Librarian wove an intriguing story of how Jessie the elephant, in 1916, was moved from the zoo at Moore Park over to our famous Taronga Zoo on the other side of the harbour. The old zoo was too small and often subject to flooding. In total, 228 mammals, 552 birds and 64 reptiles were moved from Moore Park to the new site.

Here are some issues to consider:

• You are moving an elephant - they are heavy, slow and this one is fairly old (she arrived in Sydney in 1883 aged 8). She died in 1939.
• For the first part of the journey, Jessie will need to navigate busy city streets. How do you ensure her safety and the safety of the people who live in the city?
• The Sydney Harbour Bridge was built in 1932 many years after this move so there is no bridge over the harbour
• How can you transport a 4 ton elephant across a large stretch of water?
• The alternate route, avoiding the harbour crossing, would be a very long journey over five separate bridges

The end papers in this book show all the other animals traveling in cars and trucks - mostly in cages but they had to make a different plan for Jessie. She would walk to the harbour foreshore and then step onto a steamer boat. 

"Jessie stood as still as a statue across the harbour."

But moving from the boat to the shore meant Jessie had to step onto a pontoon. The library group where I heard this story are familiar with these as our inner harbour ferries stop at pontoons. Because they float on the water this one dipped with Jessie's weight but she bravely stepped across it and onto the shore. Jessie had reached the new zoo.

This is a perfect book to share with a class for so many reasons. It is a true story and young readers always respond well to these. The hero of the story is a huge elephant but it is also a story about problem solving. This book would also fit into any class unit about the history of Sydney and also a mapping topic because there is a splendid old map which is placed across a double spread. You could also share this book as part of a family history topic. I well remember visiting Taronga zoo with my grandparents. The photo I have shows everyone very dressed up for this special outing. The zoo opened in 1916 and my dad was born in 1923. He lived in Neutral Bay not very far from the zoo - I wonder if he ever saw Jessie?

With a group of older students you could also explore issues of animals in captivity and cruelty. In the past zoo visitors paid "a penny a turn (to) ride in a special saddle called a howah on Jessie's back as she walked in a slow circuit with the zoo grounds."

Read this interview with Kate Simpson (teachers note it has a terrific idea for a school excursion). I do expect to see this book listed as a CBCA Eve Pownall (Non Fiction) Notable and hopefully also a shortlisted title for 2025. Now for the library dilemma - where will you shelve this book? Yes it is a picture book but it is a true story. It is about elephants so it could go over to 599.6 but it is about Australian history so it could be 994.4 or perhaps it is about animals in captivity 636.967. Whatever you decide this book should be added to all Australian school library collections. 

... this beautifully illustrated narrative non fiction version is the perfect starting point for not only learning about that remarkable cross-city journey, but also delving more deeply into these fascinating creatures whose future is uncertain.  The Bottom Shelf

Background reading:

• Museums of Sydney
• Photos of Jessie
• Why the zoo needed to move
• Nine News scroll through photos of Jessie and other animals at the zoo

I also read this from the Sydney Morning Herald:

• It took years of logistics to work out how to relocate 228 mammals, 552 birds and 64 reptiles from Sydney’s first zoo at Moore Park to the new bush zoo – promising nothing but air between visitor and animal – at Taronga Park in 1916.
• Back in 1916, zookeepers were worried about the risks of moving ferocious and strong creatures through city streets. Even six years ago, Taronga Zoo was challenged by the logistics of how to move its giraffes.
• Sydney’s zookeepers decided to risk it with Jessie. She was a placid creature, “a docile and peaceful pachyderm” said to be loved by the generations of Sydney children who had ridden on her howdah.
• The trip that had taken years to plan took a little over 90 minutes.
• "Taronga" is an Aboriginal word that means "beautiful view." 

Other historical books about elephants in zoos:

To find heaps more fabulous resources take a look at all of these splendid posts about elephants from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything:

8th June International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos

12th August Elephant Day

12th August World Elephant Day

22nd September Elephant Appreciation Day

Other books illustrated by Owen Swan:

Here is the website for Kate Simpson. I loved her book about Gravity.